GIGA-BYTE TECHNOLOGY GA-Z97X-Gaming GT User manual

GA-Z97X-Gaming GT
User's Manual
Rev. 1002
12ME-Z97XGGT-1002R

Motherboard
GA-Z97X-Gaming GT
Apr. 25, 2014
Apr. 25, 2014
Motherboard GA-Z97X-Gaming GT

Copyright
©2014 GIGA-BYTE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. All rights reserved.
The trademarks mentioned in this manual are legally registered to their respective owners.
Disclaimer
Information in this manual is protected by copyright laws and is the property of GIGABYTE.

without prior notice.
No part of this manual may be reproduced, copied, translated, transmitted, or published in any
form or by any means without GIGABYTE's prior written permission.

In order to assist in the use of this product, GIGABYTE provides the following types of
documentations:
For quick set-up of the product, read the Quick Installation Guide included with the product.
For detailed product information, carefully read the User's Manual.
For product-related information, check on our website at: http://www.gigabyte.com
Identifying Your Motherboard Revision
The revision number on your motherboard looks like this: "REV: X.X." For example, "REV: 1.0"
means the revision of the motherboard is 1.0. Check your motherboard revision before updating
motherboard BIOS, drivers, or when looking for technical information.
Example:

- 4 -
Table of Contents
Box Contents...................................................................................................................6
Optional Items .................................................................................................................6
GA-Z97X-Gaming GT Motherboard Layout.....................................................................7
GA-Z97X-Gaming GT Motherboard Block Diagram........................................................8
Chapter 1 Hardware Installation .....................................................................................9
1-1 Installation Precautions.................................................................................... 9
 .................................................................................... 10
1-3 Installing the CPU and CPU Cooler ............................................................... 13
1-3-1 Installing the CPU...................................................................................................13
1-3-2 Installing the CPU Cooler .......................................................................................15
1-4 Installing the Memory..................................................................................... 16
  .....................................................................16
1-4-2 Installing a Memory ................................................................................................17
1-5 Installing an Expansion Card ......................................................................... 18
1-6 Setting up AMD CrossFire™/NVIDIA®SLI™ .............................. 19
1-7 Back Panel Connectors.................................................................................. 20
1-8 Onboard Buttons, Switches, and LEDs.......................................................... 22
  ............................................................... 24
1-10 Internal Connectors........................................................................................ 25
Chapter 2 BIOS Setup ..................................................................................................35
2-1 Startup Screen ............................................................................................... 36
2-2 The Main Menu .............................................................................................. 37
2-3 M.I.T. .............................................................................................................. 40
2-4 System Information ........................................................................................ 52
2-5 BIOS Features ............................................................................................... 53
2-6 Peripherals..................................................................................................... 57
2-7 Power Management....................................................................................... 61
2-8 Save & Exit..................................................................................................... 63
 ...................................................................65
 ®Z97 SATA Controllers ........................................................ 65
 ®88SE9172 SATA Controller........................................... 77
3-3 Installing the SATA RAID/AHCI Driver and Operating System....................... 82

- 5 -
Chapter 4 Drivers Installation........................................................................................89
4-1 Chipset Drivers............................................................................................... 89
4-2 Application Software ...................................................................................... 90
4-3 Information ..................................................................................................... 90
Chapter 5 Unique Features...........................................................................................91
5-1 BIOS Update Utilities ..................................................................................... 91
5-1-1 Updating the BIOS with the Q-Flash Utility.............................................................91
5-1-2 Updating the BIOS with the @BIOS Utility .............................................................94
5-2 APP Center .................................................................................................... 95
5-2-1 EasyTune................................................................................................................96
5-2-2 System Information Viewer.....................................................................................97
5-2-3 EZ Setup.................................................................................................................98
5-2-4 Fast Boot ..............................................................................................................103
5-2-5 Smart TimeLock....................................................................................................104
5-2-6 Smart Recovery 2.................................................................................................105
5-2-7 USB Blocker .........................................................................................................107
5-2-8 Smart Switch ........................................................................................................108
5-2-9 Game Controller ...................................................................................................109
Chapter 6 Appendix .................................................................................................... 111
6-1 Qualcomm®Atheros Killer Network Manager................................................111
 ............................................................. 112
 .................................................................112
 ........................................................................................114
 ......................................................................115
6-2-4 Using the Sound Recorder ...................................................................................117
6-2-5 Creative Software Suite........................................................................................118
6-3 Troubleshooting............................................................................................ 121
6-3-1 Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................................121
6-3-2 Troubleshooting Procedure ..................................................................................122
6-4 Debug LED Codes ....................................................................................... 124
Regulatory Statements............................................................................................ 128
Contact Us .............................................................................................................. 131

- 6 -
Box Contents
5GA-Z97X-Gaming GT motherboard
5Motherboard driver disk
5User's Manual
5Quick Installation Guide
5Four SATA cables
5I/O Shield
5One 2-Way SLI bridge connector
5One 3-Way SLI bridge connector
5One 4-Way SLI bridge connector
5One 2-Way CrossFire bridge connector
Optional Items





The box contents above are for reference only and the actual items shall depend on the product package you
obtain. The box contents are subject to change without notice.

- 7 -
GA-Z97X-Gaming GT Motherboard Layout
 
CPU_FAN
ATX_12V_2X4
ATX
AUDIO
DDR3_2 DDR3_4 DDR3_3 DDR3_1
BAT
Intel®Z97
PCIEX16_1
LGA1150
GA-Z97X-Gaming GT
R_USB30
iTE®
Super I/O
SYS_FAN2
F_PANEL
USB30_LAN
PCIEX1_2
PCIEX8_1
PCIEX1_1
SYS_FAN1
CPU_OPT
SYS_FAN5
SYS_FAN4
SB
PCIEX16_2
PCIEX8_2
F_USB30
B_BIOS
BBIOS_LED
M_BIOS
F_USB2
BIOS_SW
SATA_EXPRESS
RST_SW
CMOS_SW
PW_SW
PLX®
PEX8747
MBIOS_LED
Marvell®
88SE9172
Debug LED 
Renesas®
uPD720210
Qualcomm®
Atheros Killer
E2201 LAN
PCIEX1_3
GAIN
ATX4P
CLR_CMOS
F_USB1F_USB3
SYS_FAN3
F_AUDIO
VGA
DVI
DP_HDMI_SPDIF
CODEC
7 6
GSATA3
COMA
SPDIF_O
KB_MS_USB
TI Burr Brown
®
OPA2134
1 0
SATA3 3 2
5 4
SATA3

- 8 -
GA-Z97X-Gaming GT Motherboard Block Diagram

LGA1150
CPU

Dual BIOS

DMI 2.0
FDI
LPC Bus
PS/2 KB/Mouse
DVI
HDMI
DisplayPort
2 USB 3.0/2.0
8 USB 2.0/1.1
x1
LAN
RJ45
Qualcomm®
Atheros Killer
E2201 LAN
PCIe CLK

PCI Express Bus
1 PCI Express x16
PLX® PEX8747
x16
x16
Switch
1 PCI Express x16
x16 Switch
2 PCI Express x8
x16
PCI Express Bus
3 PCI Express x1
x1x1 x1
4 USB 3.0/2.0
4 SATA 6Gb/s
1 SATA Express
2 SATA 6Gb/s
or
Marvell®
88SE9172
x1
2 SATA 6Gb/s
or
2 PCI Express x8
or Dual Channel Memory
D-Sub
Center/Subwoofer
Speaker Out
Line Out
MIC
Line In
S/PDIF Out
Side Speaker Out
Rear Speaker Out
CODEC
Intel®Z97
PCIe CLK

COM
iTE®
Super I/O
Renesas®
uPD720210 Hub

- 9 -
Hardware Installation
1-1 Installation Precautions
The motherboard contains numerous delicate electronic circuits and components which can become

manual and follow these procedures:
•Prior to installation, make sure the chassis is suitable for the motherboard.
•
warranty sticker provided by your dealer. These stickers are required for warranty validation.
•Always remove the AC power by unplugging the power cord from the power outlet before
installing or removing the motherboard or other hardware components.
•When connecting hardware components to the internal connectors on the motherboard, make
sure they are connected tightly and securely.
•When handling the motherboard, avoid touching any metal leads or connectors.
•             
components such as a motherboard, CPU or memory. If you do not have an ESD wrist strap,

•Prior to installing the motherboard, please have it on top of an antistatic pad or within an
electrostatic shielding container.
•Before unplugging the power supply cable from the motherboard, make sure the power supply
has been turned off.
•Before turning on the power, make sure the power supply voltage has been set according to
the local voltage standard.
•Before using the product, please verify that all cables and power connectors of your hardware
components are connected.
•To prevent damage to the motherboard, do not allow screws to come in contact with the
motherboard circuit or its components.
•Make sure there are no leftover screws or metal components placed on the motherboard or
within the computer casing.
•Do not place the computer system on an uneven surface.
•Do not place the computer system in a high-temperature environment.
•Turning on the computer power during the installation process can lead to damage to system
components as well as physical harm to the user.
•If you are uncertain about any installation steps or have a problem related to the use of the

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

- 10 -
Hardware Installation
 
CPU Support for Intel®Core™i7 processors/Intel®Core™i5 processors/
Intel®Core™i3 processors/Intel®Pentium®processors/Intel®Celeron®processors
in the LGA1150 package

L3 cache varies with CPU
Chipset Intel®Z97 Express Chipset
Memory 4 x DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory
  

the physical memory installed.
Dual channel memory architecture

Support for non-ECC memory modules

 

Onboard
Graphics
Integrated Graphics Processor:
  
  
  
 

 
 

 
- Support for up to 3 displays at the same time
- Maximum shared memory of 1 GB
Audio Realtek®ALC1150 codec
TI Burr Brown®
Support for Sound Blaster X-Fi MB3

2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
Support for S/PDIF Out
LAN Qualcomm®
Expansion Slots 
  
sure to install it in the PCIEX16_1 slot; if you are installing two PCI Express graphics
cards, it is recommended that you install them in the PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2
slots.

  
slot with PCIEX16_2. The PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2 slot will operate at up to x8 mode
when the PCIEX8_1/PCIEX8_2 is populated.
 
3 x PCI Express x1 slots
 